Is there a water crisis?

Municipalities Face Monumental Task

We at H2O International realize that under their current difficult conditions and restrictions, South African Water Affairs is doing there utmost to try to provide healthy drinking water for the whole country.

However, with ever deteriorating water quality, a national skills shortage, old and inadequately maintained pipe systems and an increasing demand for basic services (like power and water delivery) this is becoming a monumental and perhaps unachievable task and one can no longer be certain that the water flowing from ones tap is 100% safe to drink.

Recently, several cases from all regions of the country have been reported of children mortality occurring after drinking polluted water. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) admits that 160 of the countrys 294 dams did not comply with modern safety standards.

It has certainly been in the news. Most newspaper reports confirm that municipalities have restricted resources to manage our water affairs. The word from water affairs is that they are managing. In the articles section of this website, you can read both arguments. Below are a few excerpts:

  • The breakdown of effective monitoring and treatment services in municipalities around the country is a national disaster just waiting to happen. Its only a matter of time before water contamination reaches catastrophic proportions.

Jeff Rudin, Researcher of the South African Municipal Workers Union cit. in…

  • South Africa is on the brink of a water contamination crisis, potentially as bad as the electricity fiasco […].

Business Times, 3 February 2008, P.1, Now its a water...

  • Safety and rehabilitation programmes are underway at 42 dams. There is no clarity on what is being planned for the balance of 118 dams that are not safe or need to be rehabilitated.

WattNow, April 2008, p. 14-21, Water supplies threatened? Not so says Water Affairs

The department is battling to retain its skilled staff and support under-rescued municipalities, which cannot maintain a consistent, clean water supply to all citizens in specific areas.

Cornelius Ruiters, Deputy Director General DWAF cit. in …


Water Affairs says no

The government and the DWAF, which is spending R1.25-billion on improving the dams and assisting local authorities to cope with damaged infrastructure, denied the fact that South Africa is facing a water crisis.

  • The … [Newspaper Report] presents a gloomy picture of the state of water in South Africa and says that we are facing a water crisis similar to that of electricity. Fortunately we are not.

Lindiwe Hendricks, Minister of DWAF cit. on www.News24.com

  • In a statement release […] Hendricks […] claims that South Africas drinking water quality is rated among the best in the world. However, the DWAFs annual reports for 2006/7 indicated that 50 percent of dams are seriously impacted by waste discharged from treatment works.

WattNow, April 2008, p. 14-21, Water supplies threatened? Not so says Water Affairs

Carte Blanche: River Jeopardy

 

Do you want to be 100% safe?

Purifying your tap water is 100 times cheaper than buying bottled water and is 100 % safe.

Due to the high cost of bottled water, you are also not likely to clean fruit and vegetables, prepare food and warm beverages, and make ice using bottled purified water. Why forgo these simple yet important benefits?

Bottled water is not only expensive, but also puts a greater strain on the environment by creating large volumes of plastic waste.

Another thing to consider is that municipalities have spent millions of tax payers money creating the infrastructure to pipe water directly to your home. It is therefore illogical and uneconomical to then still buy bottled water to drink.

With home water purifiers, you can get the best water in the world, from your very own tap, as it was meant to be.